Electric smelting of iron oxids.



i descri ed To all fit d em;

li l l 1, HORACE W; LAsH, a mr the-United States, residing a v Olevelandyfidthe 'county of Cuyahoga and 5 State of;Oh1o,'ha veinvented a certain new.

jdl l sefiil-lmprovement in Electric Smelting f I n Qxids,'of which the following is a full,

, iid' 'exact description, v

Invention relates to the reduction of '11) and: more particularly to .the re:

du'c'tron of such ox ds as iron sands or scale 'which have been-"l1eretofore handled with salty and without great profit. In my atent-No.-$56,351 of June 11, 1907 I smeared of-smelting these oxids and-obtaining the metal therefrom under the c'""ilitiojnswhichidbtainin an electric fur- ."T'Sinceplying forthe before men- 2'0 vantagbtus procedure in smelting these fin 1y divided-oxide in the electric furnace y hawbyfollowing the method which I describe below." 4- Y 1 I In carrying ou'bmyprocess' 'ing-inix tfire cdm risin finely divided iron oxidjnixed'with finely divided cast or pig iroiii and "finely" divided carbon,- the proportioils off the various "ingredients being indi-T inayalsouse in this smelting date( l,lilotvf mixtures I ta'in quantity offiux, and have foun'dfiitadvantageous to use a small'quantity of sawdust orfe'quivalent readily combustible material?" i i if Itisnofiiiconsistent with'my procedure to wanders-"the charge; along withthe aforesaid smelting mixture, scra metal Whenever the smelter 'de'sires :touse t e same. This is aif' advantagedus fajct; since, as is well'lmown, therewisordinarily;aconsiderable accumulation of scrap around most smelting plants.

The smelting mixture, however, consisting of finely divided oxid of iron, finely divided cast or pig 'iron and finely divided carbon is the essential portion of the charge.

The oxid of iron employed in the smelting mixture is, as above stated, in finely. divided condition and. may be obtained'from sand Specification of gen of the iron oxid in the mixture.

ores found in many localities, Iron scale may also beused,and the pr cess is obviously well adapted for the e ployment of magnetic concentrates.

The metallic portion of the ture may be shotted or granulated cast or pig iron, or finely divided cast iron obtained from any source. It is, however, to be noted that this iron must be of the quality commonly designated as cast or pig iron, as distlnguished from the ordinary run of scrap,

wrought iron, or steel, since it is important thatit contain a high ercentage of metalloids or easily:- oxidiza le' metals, such as manganese, capable of uniting with the o 7 e free carbon in the smelting mixture is preferably-inthe form of ordinary coke,: and is ass-tam; r les. 5 ama m September 12, 1907. Serial no. 392,400.

smelting mixfinely ground; as are the other portions of the charge. The fluxes, when used, are ofthe ordinary sort, such as limestone or fluorspar,

and the saw dustis, of course, finely divided in-its ordinary state. The various constituents of the smelting mixture are intimately mixed in any suitable manner and a binder, 1

such as coal tar pitch, may be added, if desired, in order that the mixture may be made into the form of briquets for the sake of ready handling.

The prepared of lumps or-briquets, or in a loose condition, is charged into a suitable electric furnace which may or maynot in the first'heat contain a quantity ofpigdron, and the temperature is raised to a 'smeltin heat. -Under the influence ofthe heat, t e saw dust, or equivalent readily combustible-material, if. present, disappears as such leaving? the mass to 'a 'certam extent rous. Upon the continued mixture either in the form r application ofeat,a ortion ofathecarbon;

able metals contained in the finely divided cast iron of thesrnelting mixture unite w th the oxygen of the oxid of iron, thus reducing added and the metalloids and easily oxidize I the iron of such oxids to metalliccondition.

TLeflux present performs its usual function,

cast-or pig iron as was originally present, and the iron reduced'from the oxids, is found in the form ofa fused bath.

Inasmuch as under the conditions prevailing in an electric furnace the carbon and the metalloids of the metal bath will not be burned away by any oxidizing heating flame, thus obviating the waste of these valuable reducingdagents, the resulting bath will con.

tain a percentage of carbon and be easily fusi 1e.

In following the procedure formin the subject of this application for patent, ll tap a portion of the bath from the electric furnace into an adjacent refining furnace where the refinement of the metal and oxidation of themetalloids contained in the metal is pushed to the desired extent,the finished metalbeing used for any purpose for which it may be suitable. I, however,leave 'a portion of the molten bath in the electric furture above describe nace, and while it is in this molten condition still retaining considerable carbon and other metalloids and while there is no substantial loss of' heat about the furnace, I charge thereinto a fresh sup ly of the smelting mixd either in the form of lumps, briquets or in-loose condition. The

- furnace bein already at a high temperature and the batoxidizable inetalloids ca able of aiding in reduc' the iron oxid of the smelting mixture, it 1s found that within a short time the entire mixture is reduced and the heat again ready'to be tapped so that a portion of it mayberun into an adjacent furnace for fur-' being further refined or treated. But it is,

obviously, commercially advantageous to run the hot metal into a gas fired furnace adj acent to the smelting furnace, and it is this practice which I refer.

The smelting mixture which I employ may vary as to the proportions of its several inof retained metal containing.

my procedure whether" gradients; but the followin is an example of a smelting mixture, which 'I find to be quite satisfactory.

'Oxid of iron 54% Cast iron bon'ngs 27% Crushedcoke 8% Coal tar pitch 4% Saw dust 4%" Crushed limestone- 3% Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of reducing iron oxids comprising chargin a smelting mixture contaming finely divided oxid of iron with finely divided cast iron and carbonaceous material into an electric furnace, subjecting the same to a smelting heat in a non-oxidizmgatmoslghere, tapping off a portion of the resulting ath and retaining a portion thereof in the furnace, and again ohargingsuch a smelting mixture into the furnace wlnle the retalned metal is in a molten condition.

2. A method of reducin iron oxids cornrising the obtaining. a bat of molten metal 1n an electric furnace, charging therein a smelting mixture comprising finely divided oxid of iron with finely divided cast iron and carbonaceous material, subjecting the mixtureto asmelting heat in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, tap ing off a portion of the re s'ultant bath antfretai'nmg a portion thereof in the furnace, and char ing such asmelting mixture as before described into the molten metal retained in the furnace. 3. A method of reducing iron oxids comprising charging a smelting mixture containing finely divided oxid of iron with: finely divided cast iron and carbonaceous material into' an electric furnace, subjectingthe same to a smeltln'g heat in a non-oxldizmg atmosphere, tapping off a portion of the resulting ath whl e it still contains a considerable percentage of carbon and retaining aportion thereof in the furnace, and charging an additional quantity of a smelting mixture such as described into the furnace. v

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HORACE W. LAsH. Witnesses H. R. SULLIVAN, E. B. GrLcnms'r. 

